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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. court — of a king
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wind — moving air
  6. drill — army training
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. saw — the tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kid — child
  19. court — of law
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. drill — the tool
  22. craft — boats
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com